Our stage checklists are written around the NHBC key stages because that is the most common regime on UK housing sites. If your plot is registered with another provider, the physical checks barely change — the process around them does.
In short
Every provider inspects against the Building Regulations plus its own published technical standards. What differs is how many visits you get, how they are triggered, how findings are recorded and scored, and what document is issued at the end. The build sequence — and therefore the checklist — stays broadly the same.
| Provider | Technical standards | Inspection regime | How findings are recorded | What gets issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHBC | NHBC Standards, updated annually | Named key stages — excavation, basement, superstructure, pre-plaster, pre-handover, and drainage where NHBC also acts as building control — plus risk based and intermediate visits under a site risk plan. | Reportable Items scored by damage potential, feeding the site’s quality record. | Final certificate on a satisfactory pre-handover inspection; Buildmark cover for the buyer. |
| Premier Guarantee | Premier Guarantee Technical Manual | Risk-assessed inspection regime set at registration, with the number of visits driven by the plot type, build method and assessed risk rather than a fixed universal list. | Site inspection reports listing items to resolve before the next visit. | Certificate of insurance issued at completion once outstanding items are cleared. |
| LABC Warranty | LABC Warranty Technical Manual | Stage-based inspections aligned with the technical manual, commonly co-ordinated with the local authority building control visits on the same plot. | Inspection reports with items to close out, tracked plot by plot. | Warranty certificate on satisfactory final inspection. |
| Checkmate / BuildZone and other providers | Each publishes its own technical requirements | Usually delivered through an appointed warranty surveyor, with the visit schedule agreed at registration for the specific site. | Surveyor reports; the format varies by provider. | Cover certificate on completion of the agreed inspection schedule. |
Inspection regimes are set per site at registration and providers revise their technical manuals. Treat this as an orientation, and confirm the detail against the current manual and the risk plan for your own site.
Traditional masonry
The superstructure visit does the heavy lifting: cavity width, wall ties, insulation continuity, cavity trays and weeps, lintels and bearings. Work stays visible for longer, so a defect found at pre-plaster is usually still reachable.
Superstructure checklistTimber frame
The erection visit is the one that matters, and it closes fast. Sole plate level and fixing, panel plumb and restraint, breather membrane laps, clear cavity, cavity barriers and the air barrier all need photographing before the outer leaf goes up.
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